Origin Green is the sustainability programme developed by Bord Bia to demonstrate the commitment by Irish food and drink producers to operate sustainably in terms of emissions, energy conservation, water management, biodiversity, community initiatives and health and nutrition.
Deirdre Ryan is currently placed in Nestlé, in Vevey, Switzerland working on the communication of sustainable agriculture and responsible sourcing of baby food and dairy.
Here she outlines ten things she has learned about food sustainability during her time on the programme:
1. Partner up: On all of my placements I have found that partnerships are extremely effective at driving change. Teaming up with an NGO can be helpful for organisations if they don’t have the necessary expertise in-house, the capacity or the geographical reach. A partnership with an NGO also helps to build trust and credibility externally. A good example of a successful partnership is Nestlé and The Forest Trust (TFT) teaming up to work on the responsible sourcing of palm oil.
2. Supply chain transparency is key: Supply chain transparency from farm to fork, is an increasingly important aspect of sustainability strategies. Consumers are looking for more information about their products’ journey from farm to fork and retailers are requiring their suppliers to provide more details about their products too. This trend provides an excellent opportunity for companies with robust sourcing strategies to find novel ways to provide such information to consumers.
One example of this is METRO Group’s Traceability solution that I worked on in Germany, which enables consumers to access supply chain information by scanning a code with their smart phone.
3. Consumers like simplicity: When communicating sustainability it is best to keep the message simple. There is a lot of confusion out there and while consumers say they want greener products, it doesn’t always translate into purchasing behaviour.
Embedding sustainability within the business narrative, while keeping the message simple and clear, can help organisations better engage consumers.
Social media is a great tool for communicating to consumers and answering queries in an open, transparent way. At Nestlé I have been using social media listening software to gain more consumer insights on what aspects of sustainability resonates in specific markets, which has been extremely useful.
4. Employees need to be engaged: When sustainability is truly embedded in an organisation’s culture, it is a holistic, company-wide movement, rather than a targeted programme focused in one department. A lot of time is spent on internal communications of sustainability initiatives in order to get cross-departmental buy-in and create internal ambassadors. I have learned that this is a time-consuming but extremely valuable aspect to implementing sustainability.
5. The business case: Sustainability is good for business, not only in order to manage reputation but to optimise processes, make cost savings and ensure security of raw materials – the foundations of future business.
It helps to embed a culture of sustainability when employees see the commercial rationale, as well as the environmental and social aspects to sustainability. Highlighting the business case for sustainability is an extremely important part of engaging people in initiatives.
6. Attend conferences: Sustainability conferences provide ample opportunity to network and speak to people with vast experience. Not only do you have a chance to network but I’ve seen some really inspirational presentations and picked up quite innovative ideas.
7. Speak at conferences: Throughout the Origin Green Ambassador programme I have had the opportunity to give presentations at major conferences in Ireland, as well as present to a variety of stakeholder groups from CEOs to buyers, to NGOs. Presenting to a wide variety of audiences has helped to improve my presentation skills, particularly at tailoring the messaging around sustainability and making it relevant to a particular audience. Public speaking is always a bit nerve wracking, but practice does make it easier.
8. Staying open minded: It is easy to have an ideological view of what companies should do regarding sustainability. However, when I was working on the operational side of implementing such initiatives, I realised just how complicated food systems can be. I have learned to be more open-minded and that change requires patience and a long-term perspective.
9. Preparation is key: Whether it is preparing for lectures, meetings, conferences, or starting a company placement, doing the preparatory work is essential. It seems quite obvious, but at times we are all under time constraints and don’t do the proper groundwork. Taking the time to do some research reaps rewards and saves time in the long run.
10. Utilise your contacts: Through Origin Green, I have had the opportunity to travel to numerous countries and work in organisations at the forefront of sustainability in the food industry. I found that people working in the sustainability space are particularly open to sharing their experience and offering a helping hand. It is always worth asking for an introduction, a meeting, or a coffee with someone you think can help to give another perspective on things – even if they have very busy, demanding roles, people will nearly always take time to speak to you.
How to become an Origin Green Ambassador
Deirdre Ryan was one of 10 ambitious individuals recruited in 2013 to take part in the inaugural Origin Green Ambassador programme. The two year programme allows ambassadors to undertake a Masters in Business Sustainability with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School while working with a global food and drink multinational company to develop international expertise in sustainability and deepen existing Irish connections with the world’s leading food and drink companies.
Recruitment for the next Origin Green Ambassador programme is currently underway. The closing date for applications is the end of April 2015.
For more information, or to apply, visit www.smurfitschool.ie/bordbia.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by the Irish Food Board, supporter of the Food hub.
